Five candidates to Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat this week condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to post a Jesus-like image of himself in Roman-style robes with light streaming from both hands and other religious imagery. That includes three of the 10 Republican candidates, plus the candidates vying for the Libertarian and Democratic nominations for the seat.
Kevin Christensen, a U.S. Army veteran of Casper, was the first of Wyoming’s U.S. House hopefuls to issue a public condemnation in a Monday statement to social media. “As a Christian, I find this image profoundly offensive and blatantly blasphemous,” said Christensen. Trump had posted the image Sunday to Truth Social, showing Trump holding one light-emitting palm over the forehead of a man who appears to be ailing, with a woman facing Trump with her hands met as if in prayer and soldiers or crowned figures looming in a brilliant body of light overhead.
“I want to be unequivocal about where I stand,” Christensen said. “I support most of President Trump’s policies. However, support for policy can never require silence in the face of conduct that violates basic standards of decency and faith.” The image was later deleted from Trump’s account. The president told the public Monday afternoon that he believed the image depicted him as a doctor and had to do with the Red Cross. Christensen called that “not only unconvincing but insulting to the intelligence of the American people.”
Two other Republican candidates voiced agreement with Christensen on Tuesday: Pinedale resident Matt McGinnis and former state Rep. John Romero-Martinez. Libertarian candidate Shawn Johnson and Democratic candidate Lisa Kinney also voiced disapproval. Romero-Martinez, who describes himself as a devout Catholic, said the image is not only blasphemous “it’s sacrilegious.” “Jesus is Jesus,” he said. “Don’t ask AI to put your head on top of Jesus.” McGinnis sent a brief statement: “While I believe President Trump has done much good for our country, Christ has done much more for this country and the world than anyone else could. I believe the depiction is wrong.”
Johnson called the image “ridiculous, just like all the other AI photos he puts out there are ridiculous,” but added that he was shocked that this was the act that pushed some Trump loyalists into consternation. “It’s just weird to me that that’s the thing that they draw the line on when he’s stripping due process from people, locking people up in camps, trying to ban constitutional provisions via executive order,” he said. “There’s so many worse things he’s done.”
Two Republican candidates, Casper businessman Reid Rasner and Secretary of State Chuck Gray, didn’t condemn Trump’s actions, leveling criticism at one another instead. Rasner’s spokesperson said, “The Liz Cheney Lane of the Republican primary is getting crowded between Kevin Christiansen and Chuck Gray. Both oppose the president. I am proud to be an America First and Wyoming First candidate.” Gray responded: “Reid Rasner’s problem is simple — he talks a big game but has nothing to show for it. I’ve been on the front lines for President Trump and the America First movement, delivering real conservative wins for Wyoming.”
Four other Republican candidates did not respond to requests for comment: former state Superintendent Jillian Balow, Senate President Bo Biteman, conservative philanthropist Steve Friess, and military veteran David Giralt. Women’s rights activist Riley Gaines, often an ally to the president, criticized the post Monday, saying, “Seriously I cannot understand why he’d post this. A little humility shall serve him well; God shall not be mocked.” Trump responded that he’s “not a big fan of Riley, actually.” Gaines parried, saying she loves the president but “I do nothing for the approval of man. Our purpose on this earth is to glorify Him in all we do.”
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